Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

A stack of fluffy Hawaiian rolls on a red plate.

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are an authentic copycat to the store bought rolls, even better. Sweet, fluffy and always a favorite.

Course Baking, Breads, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword copycat hawaiian rolls, dinner rolls, Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 22

rest time 2

Total Time 2 32

Servings rolls

Calories 150kcal

Author Eileen Murphy Kelly

Equipment

Ingredients

3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour Note 1
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt Note 2
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
¾ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup buttermilk Note 2
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs Note 4
1 egg yolk (whisked) Note 4
½ cup unsalted butter (cubed and softened) Note 2
1 egg white (whisked) Note 4
cooking spray or extra butter to grease the pans

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour (note 1), ½ cup dark brown sugar1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast Whisk well to combine the dry ingredients.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Pour ¾ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract into the center of the dry ingredients. Add 2 large eggs, 1 egg yolk (whisked), and ½ cup unsalted butter (cubed and softened) (note 4).
Use a large wooden spoon to mix ingredients to form a soft dough.
Use the dough hook attachment on the stand mixer and knead the dough until the mixture appears elastic and forms a soft, smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add up to one cup more flour if needed. It usually takes about 4 minutes.
Or use your clean hands to knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes until the dough is smooth.
(This is a stickier dough - it will not form the same cohesive ball as a harder, proofed dough.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, place in a warm area of your kitchen to rise for 2 hours.
Once risen, punch down the dough and divide into 20 equal balls of dough.
Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish AND a 8” x 8” casserole dish and place the balls of dough equal distance apart in each.
Place the plastic wrap or kitchen towel back over the casserole dish and allow to rise again for 1 ½ hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Brush the risen rolls with 1 egg white (whisked).
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-24 minutes, until rolls are golden brown on top and cooked through. Allow the rolls to cool for 2 minutes before attempting to remove from the pans.
Serve as rolls or makes the best slider rolls.

Notes

Be sure to check Expert Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Note 1: The recipe begins with using 3 cups of flour, add more as needed. This is a stickier dough - it will not form the same cohesive ball as a harder, proofed dough.

Note 2: If using salted butter, reduce salt to ½ teaspoon. For best results, bring your dairy ingredients to room temperature for best.

Note 3: We use instant yeast as it absorbs instantly into the liquid. If using active dry yeast, in Step 2, let the yeast sit in the liquid to expand

Note 4: The recipe will use all 3 eggs. The third egg gets separated. The yolk is mixed into the dough. The egg whites are used in Step 10 to brush the tops of the rolls before baking.

Gluten-Free option: I have had friends who use Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour with excellent results.

I'm not a registered dietician, I do my best to provide the most accurate nutritional values. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes

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